NewStats: 3,264,806 , 8,184,742 topics. Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025 at 12:12 PM 423p40

New York (CNN Business) The business fallout from the war in Ukraine is about to extend to outer space.

OneWeb, a London-based satellite startup striving for global internet connectivity and a key competitor to Elon Musk's StarLink satellite internet constellation, was set to launch a batch of 36 internet satellites Friday as part of its plan for a 648-satellite constellation. But those plans are now in jeopardy as Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, appears set to roadblock the effort.

A Russian-built Soyuz rocket operated by 's Arianespace SA was meant to deliver the satellites into low Earth orbit, launching from Russia-owned Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. OneWeb and Russia inked a multi-year deal for satellite launches, with the company launching its satellites exclusively on Russia's Soyuz rocket.

But Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Roscosmos and a former Deputy Prime Minister with a flair for inflammatory rhetoric, is refusing to go ahead with what should be a routine launch in response to UK sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

The agency is requiring that the UK government sell all stakes in OneWeb and that the company guarantees the satellites will not be used for military purposes, according to an ultimatum spelled out on Twitter from Roscosmos' offical . Roscosmos stressed the demands are "due to the UK's hostile stance towards Russia" on Wednesday. The deadline for requests to be met is 9:30 pm Moscow time Thursday, Rogozin said in an interview with Russia 24.

OneWeb already has 428 satellites in orbit, with its last launch of satellites just last month. The company is working to attract customers and pay back investors after the UK government and India's Bharti Global saved it from bankruptcy in 2020.

Rogozin has tweeted flamboyant statements in the past in response to Western sanctions -- namely in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea. "After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline," Rogozin said at the time on Twitter following US sanctions against Russia's space sector.

Despite Rogozin's flamboyant tweets and interviews, the United States and Russia have historically cooperated in space. While tensions on Earth have led to threats of premature exit, Rogozin has promised Russia will remain NASA's partner at the International Space Station at least until the station is eventually retired.

British lawmakers shown no sign of bending to Roscomos and submitting to demands. "There's no negotiation on OneWeb: the UK Government is not selling its share," tweeted Kwasi Kwerteng, UK Business and Energy Secretary on Wednesday. "We are in touch with other shareholders to discuss next steps..."

OneWeb did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/02/tech/russian-oneweb-launch-refusal/index.html

I don't understand though.

Shouldn't foreign companies halt their operations in Russia?
I think it's a good thing that the company has refused to leave a comment.

*******

I'm a content writer by the way.

You can chat me up on WhatsApp 0 8 1 6 3 3 8 4 7 4 7
I charge 2 naira per word

[img]https://c./HjUdWiHjvbYAAAAd/eating-popcorn-watching.gif[/img]

In Pastor Righteousness voice.

The fight between Nomerica and Gogmagog is....... blah blah blah

This war must see the end of power drunked Putin

Don't be surprised the west cooked this war in other to seize some of Russian investment, Putin supposed to carry his billionaire families along this war, it may look as if Russia is winning but the west are on top of the game,
If you know you know.

Wisdom is profitable power only exhaust the strength.

Putin on hardwork.
The west on smart work.

E Don be

The war will touch every sphere of the economy sooner than later.

Goal goal

World war 1 & World war 2 would be child's play compared to what's coming.

Useless Democrats have been planning to cripple Russia for years now


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d4rcoPulY4

"Someday, the living will envy the dead"

F

Interesting time

Retaliation time. Interesting days ahead.
Personally, I think the world would cope without Russia. However, not sure Russia can cope without majority of the rest of the world.

What do you expect

Dawn91:
[img]https://c./HjUdWiHjvbYAAAAd/eating-popcorn-watching.gif[/img]

Perfect gif

Everybody dn chop breakfast tire

The only man that can stop all this war and nonsense is tinubu

Lol the day the west will understand Russia mind is when they finally take over Ukraine. All these sanctions they will lift it by force

Beginning of the end of Russia

E no pain .

Make them even chop the satelite

.

Nice one

T

You sanction them, they sanction you back


Let Putin turn off Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Europe, let's see if Europe without Electricity powered by gas turbines are better than normal Nigerians without power shouting up NEPA

Let's see if they can withstand winter cold without Russian gas

Now all satellite company would have to pay through their noses to use NASA or Space X lunch vehicles..... America is truly an evil genius and masters of the game



.

Noted

abobote:
This war must see the end of power drunked Putin

what about drunked Democrats and Republicians in US *Obama, Clinton, Bush

na wetin USA dey look for be dat,,make russia do any slight mistake,dem go turn dem to ashes